Draft appliance for railway-cars.



'W. KELSO. DRAFT APPLIANCE FOB. RAILWAY CARS.

APPLICATION FILED APE. 6,1909.

Patented Mar. 1 1910 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

wifvuzaoeo H W. KELSH. DRAFT APPLIANCE FOR RAILWAY CARS.

APPLICATION IILI- ID APB.6,1909. 4 950,485 Patented; Mar, 1,1910

in any of the various positions it may as whereby said rod may be WILLIAM KELSO. OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR- TO THE MQCON'W'QY 8n TORLEY COMPANY, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENN- SYLVANIA.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that 1', WILLIAM KicLso, a citizen 0]" the United States, residing at -1ittsburg, in the county of Alleghei-iy and State-01' Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft Appliances l'or Railway-Cars; and i do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable. others skilled in the art i to which it appertains to make and use the same. 1 My invention relates to the constructioni ofdratt gear for railway cars, and particularly to draft gear which is laterally movable or pivotally mounted on the car body, and the principal object of the invention is to provide a structure which will permit the coupler head to execute very extended lateral movements on both sides of its nor mal position and will afford simple and eiticient means by which the coupler, when sume in service, may lye easily unlocked from the side of the car or from the platform thereof.

To this end, the main feature of my invention, generally stated, consist in mounting a plurality of pivoted, li1ik-(-oniieete jl levers upon the head of a coupler which is E pivotally attached to a car so as to h capable of lateral swinging movement, one of said levers being movahly connected to the coupler lock, and said link-connected levers being actuated by a reciprocating rod which extends transversely of the car beneath the ar platt'orn'i and is provided with teeth actuated ly a i'o tatable Siillf.\\'l1l0li extends vertically upward through the car platform.

There are other l'catures of invention residing in elemental combinations and particular teaturegot' construction, all as will hereinafter more fully appear.

in the drawings chosen for the purpose of illustrating my invention, the scope whereot' is pointed out in the claims, Figure 1 is a plan view of a device embodying my invention, parts of a car being shown in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a side elevation ol' the f devices shown in Fig. 1, the actuating stati' and a portion of the reciprocating rack bar being omitted; Fig. 3 is a horizontal, central section of the coupler imtering means i DRAFT APPLIANCE FOR RAILVJAY-CARS.

Patented Mar. 2;, from. Serial No. 488,246.

which it is preferred to employ; Fig. 4; is a transverse vertical section of the coupler head, the elements of the coupler release rigging being in elevation and the knuckle of the coupler being omitted; and Fig. 5 is a view similarto Fig. 4:, but illustrating a modification of my invention.

Like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur.

I will now proceed to describe my invention more fully, so that others skilled in the art to which it appertains may apply the same.

in the drawings, 1 indicates the coupler head and 2 the coupler stem; These parts are pivotally mounted upon the car so as to be capable of lateral movement to each side of their normal, or centralized, positions. For this purpose, the coupler stem 2 may be conveniently formed as a bifur ated or slotted member between the upper and lower plates 2 of which the coupler head 1 is pivoted by means of a vertical pivot pin 3, the rear end of saidcoupler stem being pivot ally connected to the usual spring pocket or yoke l by means of a pivot pin The yoke t passes around two follow r plates between which a draft spring is interposed in the well known manner.

Filidingly mounted upon the coupler stem 2 is a yieldingly supported centering slide 6 the. for aid ends (3 whereof are adapted to engage corresponding, transversely arranged shoulders 1 "formed on the coupler head, to thus normally maintain said head in a centralized position with respect to the coupler stem 2. This coupler head centering slide is preferably formed as a composite struc-- ture consisting of two 'side plates that are held together by means of rivets which pass through front. and rear spacing blocks or members ti and 6, respectively, that are interpoaid between the top and bottom plates 1'2 of the coupler stem 2. The cent'i-n'ing slide is normally maintained in its forward position by means of a spring 7 which is interposed bet ween the rear spacing block (3 and a spring seat or abutment 2" which extends between and is rigidly at tached to the top and bottom plates of the hiturcatcd coupler stem.

tilidably mounted in apertures formed in the side plates'ot' the centering slide 6 are two oppositely extending spring cups or the slde plates of the centering slide 6 a distance corresponding to the lateral move mentwhich it is desired the coupler stem shall be permitted to have at this point, are

provided at their open ends with marginal flanges 8 which bear upon the inner faces Z 1 teeth 1:3 which are presented toward. the

of the side plates of the centering slide and .thus limit the separation of the said spring This construction also enables one of 5 cups. I the spring cups 8 to be forced toward the other whenthe coupler stem swings laterally, thus compressing the spring 5) which is seated upon and constantly tends to separate said cups or boxes, as will hereinafter more I fully appear.

livotally mounted on the coupler head 1 i is a lock engaging bell-crank lever 10 which is movably connected to the lock 11 by which the pivoted knuckle is restrained from rotation. For this purpose the level- 10 is prefj erably provided adjacentto its free end with a curved slot which receives a pin 12 that passes through the vertically slottedf lugs or ears 11 which are formed on the coupler lock and receive the said lever 10 between them.

While, as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings,

' the lock engaging lever 10 may be directly connected by means of a pivot pin with the transversely extending, shdably mounted uncoupling bar, it is preferred, as shown in member 14, the said lever 13 being prefer- .j

ably pivotally mounted upon the guard arm side of the coupler head between perforated lugs 1 1 formed thereon, and the said link 14 being interposed between and pivotally attached to the said lever 13 and the lock engaging lever 10.

Flexibly connected to the pivoted lever 13, 3

g as by means of the hook and eye connection shown, it is a transversely extending uncoupling bar 15 which is slidably mounted in a bracket 16 secured to the car body, the openbutting and in draft. The outer end of the uncoupling bar 15 is preferably provided with a handle. 15 which afiords means whereby the bar may be manually actuated from the side of the car to unlock the coup ler, and extending inwardly from the handle 1 toward the coupler said uncoupling bar is also provided with a series of teeth 15 which are adapted to be engaged by the toothed member 17 that is rigidly secured ermit said unto the lower end of the vertically extending,

I rotatable statf 18. These teeth 15", which, as

stall 18 are formed at an angle tothe dir ec- 3 order to alt'ord clearance for the teeth 17"of the staff jaw, as will be readily understood upon reference to Fig. 1.

The vertically extending, rotatable staii 18, which passes upwardly through the car [platform and is supportingly journaled in a plate or bearing 15) mounted thereon, is provided at its upper end with a pivoted j handle 18 which, when brought to a hori- 'zontal position, has socketed engagement with the squared upper end of the-staff, thus 1 forming a lever by which said statl may be readily rotated.

The uncoupling bar 15 shown in the modified form of construction illustrated in Fig. 5 is combined with the supporting bracket 16, toothed stafi' jaw 17 and rotatable statl' 18 in preciselv the same manner as specific form of the eye by which the connection with the lock engaging lever '10 is effected, the-said member 15 is identical in construction with the uncoupling bar 15 shown in the principal figures of the drawings.

l as hereinbefore pointed out, the operation will be as follows. In draft and in butting ler stem by the coupler head 1 are trans-r The construction being substantially such the forces which are imparted to the coup-.

tion of length of the uncoupling bar 15 in heretofore described, and, except for the I mitted, through the aivot bolt 5 to the yoke 4:, thus causing the raft springand followers within the yoke to operate 1n the usual manner. When the coupler head is rotated about the pivot bolt 3 by whlch 1t- 15 5 connected to the couplerstem 2-, one or the other of-the head centering shoulders 1 with which said head is provided engages 6 and causes said slide to move rearwardly on the stem 2, thus compressing the-"spring end of the centering slide. sation of the force causing the coupler head 1 to rotate upon the pivot bolt 3, the ex- Upon the cesposition, thereby returning the coupler head to its centralized position. When the coup ler stem 2 swings laterally as the car to which it is attached passes around. a curve,

E turns the centering slide 6 to its normal i i the transversely extending stem centering the adjacent end (3 of the centering slide 7 between the spring seat 2 and the rear.

pansion of the head centering spring '7' reslide (3 spring 9 is compressed between the spring cups or boxes 8, one ot said cups being at such time supported against moven'ient by a portion of the car body and the flanges 8 of the other being engaged by the centering toward When the force causing coupler its companion.

stem from its normal position is withdrawn, the expansion ot the spring 5) returns said coupler stem to its centralized position.

The coupler may be unlocked when in an of the various positions it may assume either by rotating the staii 18 in the proper direc-' tion, or by pulling upon the handle of the uncoupling bar. When the start 18 is rotated, the teeth 17 of the statt jaw 17 are brought into engagement with the curved faces 15 of the teeth 15' with which the uncoupling bar 15 is provided, a continued rotation'ot' said staff causing the uncoupling bar to slide outwardly through the supporting bracket 16, thus rotating the lever side of the coupler head and causing the link 1-1 to rotate the lock engaging bell-crank lever 10 upon its pivot. The unlocking rotation of the slotted levcrlO causes an upward movement of the pin 12 passing? through the lifting lugs 11 ot the coupler lock 11, thus moving said lock to an 1111- locked positioin .is the lock engaging lever 10 rotates to an unlocked position, the pin 12 by which it is connected to the lock 11 moves toward the outer end of the slot in said lever, as will be readily understood.

Instead of actuating the rack bar 15 from the platform of the car by turning the statl' 18, the said bar may be directly actuated from the side of the car by pulling outwardly upon the handle 15-", thus causing the lock 1] to be brought to an unlocked position through the instrumentalit of the lever 1 link 14: and slotted bell-crank lever 10, as heretofore explained.

As the lateral movements of the coupler cause the" uncoupling bar 15 to reciprocate in the bracket- 16, the stafi' 18 is arranged the. toothed jaw 17 to be wholly withdrawn from engagementwith said uncoupling bar. as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1,-thus permitting the staff 18 to" remain stationary during the swinging of the coupler.

The operation of the modified form of coupler' release rigging shown in Fig. 5 is exactly the same as that heretofore described, except. that the movement of the toothed uncoupling bar 15 is conmiunicated directly to the slotted bell-crank lever 10 instead of being comn'iunicated thereto through an intervening lever such as 13 and a link member such as 14.

Having thus described my invention, what to cause such spring cup to move the lateral displacement of the' mounted on said coupler head and movably connected to said lock, a slidable uncoupling bar, means for connecting said uncoupling bar to said lever, a'rotatahle staff, and means mounted on and rotatable with said staff for engaging and actuating the said slid able uncoupling bar.

2. The combination with a coupler head, of a knuckle pivotally mounted thereon, a lock for said knuckle, a bell-crank lever pivotally mounted on said coupler head, said lock and said bell-crank lever being attached to each other by a pin and slot connection, a slidably mounted toothed uncoupling bar, means for connecting said uncoupling bar to said lever, a rotatable start, and a toothed member mounted upon said staff, the toothed member mounted on the staff being adapted ,.to engage and actuate the said slidably 13 which is mounted upon the guard arm mounted uncoupling bar.

3. The combination with a coupler head, of a knuckle pivotally mounted thereon, a lock for said knuckle, a bell-crank-lever pivotally mounted on said coupler head and connected to said lock, 11 second lever movably mounted on. said head, a link mterposed between and movably connected to said levers, and means for actuating said coupler head and interposed between and.

movably connected .to said link and said uncoupling bar, a rotatable staii, and means f mounted on and rotatable with said statl for engagin and actuating the said slidable uncoupling ar.

The combination with a coupler head,

5 of a knuckle pivotally mounted thereon, a to have suflicient rotary movement to permit 1 lock for saidknuckle, a bell-crank lever pivotally mounted on said coupler head, means for movably connecting said lock and said lever, a link pivotally connected to said lever, a slidably mounted uncoupling bar provided with teeth, a lever pivot-ally mounted on said coupler head and connected to said link and said uncoupling bar, a rotatable stall, and. a toothed member mounted on the staff and adapted to engage the teeth of the uncoupling bar to no tuate said bar.

6. The combination with a coupler head, of a knuckle pivotally mounted thereon, a lock for said knuckle, and means for causing said lock to assume an unlocked position,

T. The combination with a coupler heath l of means for pivot-ally connecting a coupler v tem thereto, a coupler stem which is provided with means whereby it may be connected to the body of a car so as to be c: pable oi swinging laterally, yieldingly supported means slidably mounted on Said stem for normally maintaining said coupler head in a centralized position with respect' to said stem, and yielding means for normally maintaining said coupler stem in a central- 1zed pos1t1on, SHICl stem centralizing means being mounted upon and movable with said head centralizing means. 4

8. The c m1bination with a coupler head. of a coupler v tem pivotally connected slidablc bar to actuate-' thereto, means whereby said coupler stem may be mounted upon a car. so as to be capable oi swinging laterally, means for normall maintaining said coupler head in centralized position \ritlrrcspect to said stem, and means for normally maintaining said coupler stem in a centralized position,

said head centralizing means including a member slidably mounted upon Said stem,

and a spring interposed between said slidably mounted membeand said stem, and

said stem centralizing means including a pluralit of relatively movable spring cups 1 mounted on the arid slidable member of the head centralizing means. and a spring hearing upon aid spring cups.

ln tcstinunrr whereof I a'l'lix my signature. in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM KELSO.

'Witncsses:

J. \V. llnn'rnnr, FJD. Ecitnn. 

